Donald Trump to meet Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12

US detainees thank Trump and God for release from North Korea

Glenn Montgomery
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11 May, 2018, 04:29

A USA official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Singapore has emerged as the likeliest location for the planned summit after Trump ruled out holding it at the heavily fortified demilitarized zone between North and South Korea.

He'd said he favored holding the meeting at the Demilitarized Zone, the heavily fortified border separating the Koreas. The president and aides ultimate rejected the idea in favor of a more neutral side, though the final choice is much closer to Kim's home base.

North Korea and the USA are preparing to hold their first ever summit talks.

The last American to be freed - Otto Warmbier, who was jailed for stealing a hotel sign - was released a year ago but was fatally ill, and died shortly after returning home.

"I simply let them know that while we received this news with joy, that Otto was on all our hearts and the family was in our prayers", Pence told "CBS This Morning," adding "We got Otto home previous year, but it wasn't soon enough". "We got Otto home the past year, but it wasn't soon enough".

"We're not under any illusions about who these people are", National Security Council official Victoria Coates told reporters.

"If we can pull it off, if this president can pull it off, listen, I'll be the first person to say congratulations".

North Korean and U.S. officials have been working to organise the summit in recent weeks, amid the easing of tensions in the Korean peninsula.

Opening his remarks to the press this morning, Trump said, "This is a great honor. we want to thank Kim Jong-un who really was excellent to these three incredible people".

"I really think we have a very good chance of doing something very meaningful", Trump said.

"You're never certain exactly what you're going to get into when you're dealing with certain governments that you don't always have a friendly relationship with", she said. Trump plans to greet all three of the detainees and welcome them back on American soil.

Kim Hak-song, Tony Kim, and Kim Dong-chul flashed peace signs as they emerged from the airplane, and they appeared to be in decent health. The group is expected to disembark the plane together.

The ceremony, which also featured a giant American flag suspended between the ladders of two firetrucks, emphasized Trump's penchant for the dramatic as he raised expectations for the summit.

Moon is scheduled to visit the White House on May 22 to debrief Trump on his own meeting with Kim and discuss strategy ahead of Trump's summit. "President Trump set conditions for this to happen, and I am thrilled with that". The U.S. had long demanded that North Korea free the men, Kim Dong-chul, Kim Hak-song and Tony Kim, who had been held on charges of espionage and "hostile acts".

The announcement comes after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo returned from North Korea with three USA citizens who had been held captive there. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, are also awaiting the arrival of the former detainees. State Department official Brian Hook was with him and among the first Americans to see the three men. The trio, along with medical personnel that included a psychiatrist, were cloistered in the middle of Pompeo's plane in a small section of 12 business class-size seats that was cordoned off by curtains on both ends.

They arrived into a Washington military base in the middle of the night and were welcomed by President Trump.

Relatively little is known about the men, all Korean-Americans, and the circumstances in which they ended up in North Korean custody.

A series of United States administrations have sent envoys, both official and unofficial, to Pyongyang in the hope of stopping North Korea's provocative nuclear weapons program.

"It has been North Korea's consistent position for decades that U.S. Forces Korea should limit its activities and withdraw", Mount said. It said eight had died, and allowed five others to visit Japan - and they stayed.

The president's announcement came hours after three Americans who were imprisoned in North Korea returned to the United States accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Among villages affected are those in the farmlands of Nyakinyua, Endao, and Arutani where hundreds of people were displaced. The local people are now concerned about the condition of the other two dams, which are also reportedly full.

The Kingdom also supports reinstating economic sanctions on the Iranian regime, which have been suspended under the nuclear deal. But the USA sanctions on Iran , assuming they are effective, mark the end of the current output agreement.

The NASA con men were passing off the metal plate as a rare piece of copper which they claimed was struck by a thunderbolt. This time the testing was scheduled in Himachal's Dhramshala and was eventually called off because the sky was not clear.

Hood was the only player not to play in Game 4, though the Cavs do not view what he did as an act of defiance, a source said. The 25-year-old is averaging 4.6 points in 17 minutes and hasn't looked comfortable in Cleveland's offense.

Pashinian, you will be elected prime minister ..." "Representatives of the party will not be members of the government". Pashinyan had lost the original vote on May 1 due to initial opposition from the dominant Republican Party.

Miranda Kerr is a mom for the second time! Miranda and Evan met in 2014 and made their romance public the following year. Miranda and Snapchat billionaire Evan tied the knot back in May a year ago , in an intimate wedding held in Los Angeles.

He has made just one league appearance this season as his playing career winds down but will be afforded one last home outing. In my squad, I have some players where I would like to have better than what I have.

After the game, he was presented with a commemorative shirt on the pitch, and was joined by older brother Kolo. That is held by Manchester United who won the league in 1999/2000 by 18 points, and are now 20 behind City.

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South Korea's presidential Blue House said on April 29 that Kim was ready to hold talks with Japan at "any time". The potential economic benefits of cooperation also bolster hopes of peace between North Korea and the US.

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